Safety mitten



y 21, 1953 w. E. PROBERT 2,645,778

SAFETY MITTEN Filed Feb. 17, 1950 INVENTOR WILLIAM E. PROBERT ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE 2,645,778 SAFETY MITTEN William E. Probert, Spokane, Wash.

Application February 17, 1950, Serial No. 144,691

This invention relates to a workmans mitten, and particularly to a safety mitten including a crush-resistant shield for protecting the ends of the fingers.

Leather mittens are commonly worn in the manual handling of heavy materials such as steel plate, brick and stone. hands from cuts and abrasions they afford little protection to the fingers if caught between successive plates in a pile or between the stones or bricks being handled. Statistical studies of accident records show that finger injuries account for approximately 35% of all bodily injuries and are particularly prevalent in the masonry trades.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a mitten having in the fingerreceiving portion thereof a shield of crush-resistant material which encompasses the backs of the fingers.

Other objects will become apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the attached drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a back view of the mitten of the present invention with the protective shield in place;

Figure 2 is a section through the finger-receiving portion of the mitten taken along line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken along the line I1IIII 01 Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a perspective of the crush-resistant shield.

With particular reference to the drawings the numeral 2 indicates a piece of leather or other flexible, protective material forming the back of the mitten and the numeral 4 indicates a similar piece of leather of appropriate shape forming the palm or front-piece. The pieces 2 and 4 are joined together to provide the finger-receiving portion 5. The thumb-receiving portion is formed of additional pieces and is indicated in general by the reference numeral 6. A strap 8 is provided at wrist level to retain the mitten on the hand.

Attached to the back of the finger-receiving portion 5, along the bottom peripheral edges thereof is an additional patch of material ID of the same general shape as the back piece 2 but slightly Wider and shorter than the latter. The patch I is secured to the back of the mitten by means of staples l2 and rivets H, which also serve to join the front and back pieces, thus providing a pocket l between piece 2 and patch l0 which pocket accommodates a half-cup shaped shield IS. The latter is disposed in the pocket IS with its open end ll toward the top of the pocket and its concave side toward the back-piece 2. The shield is formed of a single piece of steel or other crush-resistant material such as reinforced plastic. The shield extends substantially the width of the mitten, is of such depth as to cover the fingers from the tips thereof to at least the sec- 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-158) While these protect the 0nd joint and has suflicient crown or height to permit free movement of the fingers in the finger receiving portion of the mitten. The lip portions l8 of the half-cup are preferably flattened or flanged as indicated in Figure 4 so as to avoid cutting the back-piece 2. The shield I G is maintained in position by the snap-fasteners 20 and can readily be removed by disengaging these fasteners.

In the above described embodiment of my invention, the shield is maintained out of direct contact with the fingers by the back-piece 2. This is advantageous in cold weather. However, if desired, the shield could be fitted in the bottom of the finger-receiving portion of the mitten or be directly attached to the palm and back pieces forming an integral part of the latter. Either of these alternate arrangements also combines a flexible covering for the front of the hand with a rigid back portion which encompasses the backs of the fingers.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that other modifications can be made without depart ing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a workmans mitten having a finger-receiving portion, a patch of suitable material attached to the back of said finger-receiving portion along the bottom peripheral edges thereof to form a pocket, a half-cup shaped shield of rigid crush-resistant material disposed in said pocket 3. In a workmans mitten having a finger-re ceiving portion, a half-cup shaped shield of rigid crush-resistant material removably attached to the finger receiving portion to move therewith and positioned to encompass the ends and backs of the fingers of a hand in said finger-receiving portion.

WILLIAM E. PROBERT.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bakke Feb. 5', 1946 

